The Archives of Falconry

10/15/2026

Photographic slides are among the many historical materials collected, maintained, and digitized at The Archives of Falconry. In an increasingly digital world, these slides offer an important record of falconry as practiced predominantly in the 20th Century. In this video, Curator of Collections Monica Dean walks us through how these slides are organized, stored, and ultimately shared online.

This is one of the many ongoing projects that your Archives membership helps support. Through this work, historical records in legacy media can be properly cared for while becoming more accessible to falconers, researchers, and anyone interested in the history of the sport.

Learn more and become a member of The Archives:
https://falconry.org/donate_support/membership/

10/13/2026

Save the Date! 2027 Spring Rendezvous

Join us April 29 through May 1, 2027, in Boise, Idaho, for The Archives of Falconry’s annual Spring Rendezvous!

This year’s theme, “Falconers Advancing Raptor Health and Husbandry,” will explore the long history of falconers improving raptor care, with veterinarians, researchers, and experienced falconers sharing the latest discoveries and time-honored techniques that keep our birds fit for the field.

We’re also pleased to announce that renowned raptor veterinarian and falconer Dr. Ken Riddle will deliver the keynote address! Drawing on 37 years of experience in falconry and veterinary medicine, including his work designing and directing the Abu Dhabi Falcon Research Hospital, Dr. Riddle will share insights from an extraordinary career working with falcons.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information about speakers, registration, lodging, and other Rendezvous details!

10/11/2026

Roger Upton’s “Arab Falconry: History of a Way of Life” explores the traditions and practices of falconry across Arabia and the Gulf Coast, as well as from Morocco to Pakistan.

Drawing from decades of Upton’s own experiences and hawking trips, the book covers everything from traditional trapping and training methods to the introduction of modern tools like telemetry, while documenting a falconry culture rarely covered for Western audiences.

This first-edition trade copy, one of 2,500 produced, is inscribed by the author and is part of the Bibliotheca Falconaria (The Karl-Heinz Gersmann Library) at The Archives of Falconry. The images shared here are a look inside this copy from our collection.

With more than 6,000 titles now held in our library, collections like this are just one part of what membership supports at The Archives.

Learn more and become a member:
https://falconry.org/donate_support/membership/

10/08/2026

Our fall membership drive is here!

Since 1986, The Archives of Falconry has worked to collect and preserve the history and heritage of falconry, including books, correspondence, photographs, art, equipment, memorabilia, and the stories of falconers themselves.

Membership helps support this work by providing a sustainable source of revenue for our nonprofit mission while connecting you with The Archives through a range of membership commitment levels. Whether you’re an apprentice, a longtime falconer, or anyone who shares our passion for this ancient sport, an Archives membership makes you an essential part of preserving falconry history.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more about the benefits of joining TAF and the work your membership supports.

Current and former members will be hearing from us soon with an update on your membership status and easy ways to renew. New members are always welcome! To join today, just visit:
https://falconry.org/donate_support/membership/

10/06/2026

A Falconer’s Life is headed to two film festivals this October!

The film will be shown at the Bozeman Film Festival on Saturday, October 10 at 4:00 pm as part of Shorts Block 6 at The Ellen Theatre in Bozeman, Montana. It will also screen at the Friday Harbor Film Festival on Sunday, October 25 at 10:30 am at Palace Theatre Back in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Told through personal interviews, historical photos and film, and spectacular footage from the field, the short documentary follows Wyoming falconer Brian Mutch and his life in falconry, including his passion for peregrines, grouse, and the grasslands of the Rocky Mountain Front.

For those in the Bozeman or Friday Harbor areas, tickets and additional festival information are available at the links below.

Bozeman Film Festival:
https://bozemanfilmfestival.filmchief.com/shop/tickets?v=30

Friday Harbor Film Festival:
https://fhff.eventive.org/films/6aa9a952ebbe006ac2a2616d

This short documentary from The Archives of Falconry explores the s...

10/05/2026

Born on this day in 1916, Morley Nelson was a legendary figure in falconry and raptor conservation.

A lifelong falconer, researcher, and wildlife filmmaker, Morley spent decades working to improve public understanding and protection of birds of prey. His films were viewed by millions of people, while his conservation work helped reduce raptor electrocutions on power lines and establish protections for Idaho’s Snake River birds of prey.

Morley was also instrumental in bringing The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey to Boise. In 2009, the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area was renamed in his honor, recognizing his many contributions to improving the lives of birds of prey.

10/02/2026

For this month’s First Friday feature, we’re highlighting falconer and conservationist Jackie Barry.

Jackie began handling raptors 17 years ago and has since become a devoted squirrel hawker, flying red-tailed hawks on squirrels almost exclusively and nearly every day of the season. After years of pursuing the same quarry, she says no bird and no chase is ever the same, and there’s no doubt she’ll “die a squirrel hawker.”

Today, Jackie is the program director for Hunters for Eagle Conservation at Conservation Science Global, Inc. Research has shown that half of eagles in North America experience chronic lead exposure, which suppresses population growth. Through incentive programs offering lead-free am******on for free or at reduced cost, Hunters for Eagle Conservation helps provide safer scavenging options for eagles, particularly in winter when food is scarcer.

As a hunter herself, Jackie believes this is an effort falconers should support and help educate the public about.

Learn more about their work:
https://huntersforeagleconservation.org

09/30/2026

Fall is finally here, a season falconers look forward to all year.

“Goshawk and Ruffed Grouse” by Owen J. Gromme shows an adult goshawk in pursuit of a ruffed grouse against a late autumn aspen forest.

09/27/2026

America’s Falconry Monument

Erected in 1875 in New York City’s Central Park, “The Falconer” is an iconic sculpture by George Blackall Simonds that captures the spirit of our sport.

Filmed and edited by Matthias Roeckl, TAF’s new short film takes a closer look at the statue and its idyllic setting.

For readers interested in the full story of “The Falconer,” its falconer sculptor, and its 150-year presence in Central Park, see the latest issue of TAF’s Collections Journal, our exclusive member publication offered free to everyone during our fall membership drive:
https://conta.cc/4xyMupL

The Archives of Falconry is pleased to feature this short film show...

09/24/2026

As if hiding in plain sight, thousands pass by America’s most prominent monument to falconry every day.

Installed in 1875 on a precipice in New York City’s Central Park, "The Falconer" by master sculptor (and revered falconer) George Blackall Simonds is known to too few falconers today.

The latest issue of TAF’s exclusive quarterly Collections Journal, normally only available with select membership levels, explores the statue’s 150-year history through interviews, research, and unprecedented new film and photography by Matthias Roeckl of this amazing tribute to the spirit of our sport.

For a limited time during our fall membership drive, we’re making this issue available to everyone. Read it here:

Email from The Archives of Falconry A Quarterly Publication: Summer Issue 2026 America's Falconry Monument The tangled history of Central Park and its unlikely symbol of endurance “A statue called The